I have been searching, off and on, for some official insight into how faith impacts dementia – specifically, whether being a born-again
Christian makes the plunge into deep forgetfulness an experience as peace-filled and perhaps even joyous as it does any other experience in life.

I believe that it does indeed. But my evidence is totally anecdotal, based on what I’ve seen as a nursing home volunteer over the last 13+ years.

So I’ve conducted lengthy searches here and there, now and then, on the internet. And to my amazement, have found virtually nothing on the subject.

We live in a nation where 10% of those over 65 will develop the form of dementia known as Alzheimer’s; if we live to 85, our chances of developing it are apparently 50/50. We also live in a nation where roughly 76% self-identify as Christian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  

Wouldn’t you think some clinician somewhere in these United States would be interested enough to investigate how our faith impacts something as devastating as slipping into dementia? 

I looked again recently, starting out with www.scholar.google.com, where I do a lot of searching of medical-journal articles for my daily work. I found almost nothing there, medically speaking, which seems impossible; I must go back and try again using different search terms.

I did find lots of plain ol’ web listings purporting to address this issue – more than 5.7 million of them, with a simple search for combinations of words such as Alzheimer's, faith and truth. 

There was a nicely written article headlined, “Yes, Faith Does Change the Alzheimer’s Journey.” It was written by a woman whose mother had Alzheimer’s. But she really didn’t address how it impacted her mother. She just said that she was on a personal pilgrimage of some sort, and then realized that this wasn’t about her, but about her mother, who was after all the one with the disease. So no insights there.

There was another article outlining the search for “dementia and a resurrection theology.” I think it was promoting the use of religious ritual to help the senile find themselves again. According to this article, such “very familiar practices” as communion “witness to the spiritual meaning of a person’s life.” Whatever that means. Is it ritual that gives our lives “spiritual meaning,” or reflects the “spiritual meaning” of our lives? A strange teaching.

The Alzheimer’s Association has posted dozens of links to pages entitled “Walking in Faith,” or some variation thereof. But they don’t seem to have anything to do with Christian faith; I’m not sure what the point is, except that the Association seems to be reaching out to churches for support.

I did find one intriguing report. Published in 2010, its abstract describes a very small study of just 64 Alzheimer’s patients, with two tests conducted 12 months apart. The researchers' conclusion:“Higher levels of religiosity in Alzheimer's dementia seem to correlate with a slower cognitive and behavioral decline, with a corresponding significant reduction of the caregiver's burden.” 

Very interesting and worth noting. But still, eventually we all end up at the same place. What I want to know is if peace and joy prevail for Christians, even through the challenges suffered by those with Alzheimer’s.

Have any of you come across this sort of research, dear readers? 

Another day at the nursing home, another reminder that something is going seriously wrong with the elderly in this nation (and maybe worldwide).

If these numbers can be trusted -- and I take nothing for granted anymore, but they're all we have to work with -- Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are on a pathway to destroying us all. 

Consider just a few of the statistics:

• Since 2000, deaths from Alzheimer's have risen 68%, while deaths from other "leading" diseases have trended down.
• One in three seniors dies with (although apparently not necessary "from") one form of dementia or another.
• Someone develops Alzheimer's every 68 seconds.
• By 2025, the experts expect another 40% increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer's -- and another 230% increase by 2050, unless a cure is found.
• About 5% of victims are "early onset," developing the disease in their 40s and 50s.

Yet just 50 years ago, this disease (along with others related to the brain) was almost unknown. What's going on?

In some apparently rare cases, the disease can be genetic. (So much for evolutionary improvements due to positive, additive genetic changes. Man alive, how can anyone look at this world and be deluded enough to believe in evolution?) But otherwise, the experts appear to be stumped.

Could it be environmental? The result of something we're willingly ingesting? Could it be related to vaccines? 

And how come our mainstream news media seem to be so utterly disinterested in investigating and reporting on such a critical topic?

I see so much long-term suffering at the nursing home where I hang out -- from the pains of old age, from the sorrow of losing loved ones, from the heartache caused by neglectful children.

Not surprisingly, the Lord makes all the difference in these lives: Those who are His bear up well under sometimes crippling physical pain or devastating losses -- often with joy, even without the "help" of psych medications. Those who are not His, and are not interested in hearing anything about Him, do not.

I was just reminded of the difference He makes when I stumbled across these little essays I'd saved from the precious old devotional Streams in the Desert - perhaps from one of the emails sent out by my friend Georgie the Extraordinary Poetess and Author Who Should Be Famous by Now. I am sure that the contentment of those who belong to Jesus can be attributed to their understanding of these precious truths. 

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush…saying…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt" (Acts 7:30, 32, 34).

"That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work." --Dr. Jowett

"God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull.

"The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair. 

"Joseph's was a long trial, and God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver," but He knows how long, and like a true goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal. 

"We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, 'All things have worked together for good.' 
  
"Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a "need-be" for every lesson, and when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, and we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. 

"God is educating us for the future, for higher service and nobler blessings; and if we have the qualities that fit us for a throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come. Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait."  
--Selected


 

One of the great joys of volunteering at a nursing home is having the chance to fellowship with the born-again believers among the residents. I always feel a little guilty spending too much time with them, figuring I should be moving on and talking with those who don’t yet seem to be believers. But maybe that’s silly; part of our job, I believe, is to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ – and to help them remain fruitful servants of the Lord. 

For instance, most can pray, even if they can do nothing else. What a critical role to play in the kingdom, interceding on behalf of others! 

Some can share the gospel with family members, friends, staff and other residents.

Many can at least hand out Gospel tracts to these people, and you can keep them supplied with materials from your church or a five-star source such as www.LivingWaters.com. 

Some can show the difference Christ makes to their lives simply by the way they think, speak and act. 

It may pay eternal dividends if you will take the time to encourage them in such activities.

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ at a nursing home isn't much different from sharing it with younger folks. The primary difference may be that most residents already believe in God, and in Jesus; but at least in our part of the country, relatively few understand what Jesus did on the cross, and what it means to us. 

As a result, we can usually cut to the chase, skipping the "is there a god?" and "which god is the real deal?" discussion that has become so critical for unbelievers aged 70 and under.
 
You no doubt have your own favorite ways of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I personally have been trained in James Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion method, and am also a great fan of Ray Comfort’s Way of the Master approach. Both are good ways of explaining the Gospel in just a few minutes. And I’m sure there are many others. 
 
One thing a fellow volunteer and I have done on occasion, to make our points as inoffensively as possible, is to role-play the Way of the Master approach to letting the law show us our sinfulness and need for the Savior (watch some of these videos if you’re not familiar with this ministry). I’m not sure I really understood the Gospel until I tumbled across this teaching on our local Christian TV station. 
 
Another excellent way to reach the lost is to offer to read the Bible to them. If they have no special requests, you might begin by walking them down the Romans Road (3:23, 6:23, 5:8 and 10:9-13).

If you have a laptop, or access to a computer, you might consider taking a resident through the excellent quiz at www.needgod.com.

NEXT: Enlisting Residents' Help

I’ve been attempting to glorify God and advance His kingdom at my favorite nursing home
since the year 2000. And if you're involved in such a ministry, I'd like to share some thoughts with you on how to most effectively serve our Savior in facilities that are, in theory at least, spiritually neutral.

If you are a Christian who wants to focus exclusively on comforting the elderly without
evangelizing anyone, then I don’t imagine any of this will be of interest to you. But if you’re here to spread the Gospel, advance the kingdom and rejoice
with those who are already His, I hope you’ll find these thoughts useful. 

First things first
 
The most important step is to pray for the people we’re witnessing to … for the wisdom to recognize opportunities … for guidance in what to say and do to reach these people ... and for a responsive and obedient heart.

Sometimes we volunteers will pray together – what a wonderful and encouraging way to re-energize our efforts!

Bringing Jesus up

Some volunteers like to build a relationship before embarking on the spiritual – and
that’s fine. Others prefer to cut to the chase as early as possible.

There are many ways of doing it, of course – just as there are in the outside world. Let's look at a few possibilities. 

Use a resident’s comment to interject a favorite Bible passage. One of my favorites is “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Once in a while you’ll get a great surprise. Not long ago, I started reciting this passage to a new resident who was losing her eyesight. I faltered as I so often do, and was amazed when she completed it for me, word by perfect word. What joy to stumble across a sister in Christ in this way! 

That’s admittedly unusual. But at the very least, such quotes will make it easier to bring God into the conversation at hand – addressing topics ranging from why He allows suffering to what we must do to be saved to how this life is a blink of an eye and the best is yet to come for His children. 

Talk about Christ in your own life. That might mean describing an experience that would have destroyed the “old”you, but was a cause for rejoicing for the you of today,  transformed as you have been by Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

It might mean bringing up a great message you heard in church last week, or a lecture you’re going to this Saturday or a secular TV program that angered you by denying the existence of God or the divinity of Christ. 

Ask for permission. A fellow volunteer suggests simply asking residents for permission to share your testimony. "May I tell you about the difference Jesus Christ has made in my life, and why?”

Offer to pray for him or her. What a segue this can be into the power of prayer – and at some point, into the attributes and character of our sovereign God, as He has revealed Himself in the Bible.

Search out and address an area of particular interest. God has something to say about virtually every aspect of our lives, right? Spend some time finding out what’s important to a particular resident, and then bring Him into it.

For instance, do you visit someone who’s distraught over her fading beauty? Maybe you could gently move the conversation to the spiritual by commenting on how your own passion for makeup and hairstyles was squelched by Jesus telling us to consider the lilies of the field – and how much better life is now that your focus is on enhancing your eternal eyes.

Or perhaps you’re visiting a younger unbeliever who’s convinced that science has made God unnecessary. But you know there’s tons of evidence that “In the beginning, God.” If you’re not already immersed in the subject, check out some of the suggestions in my library.

Issue an invitation to an upcoming event. Some facilities are gracious about allowing
Christians to host Christ-glorifying activities. "My" nursing home, for example,  welcomes a full menu of monthly non-denominational services and works hard to bring as many residents as possible into each one.

If the same can be said of "your" facility, be sure to invite the residents you call on to attend any or all of these events – and feel free to come to them yourself, for fellowship, edification, and a chance to strengthen your bonds with the residents.

NEXT: Sharing the Gospel

Encounter any interesting euphemisms this week?

There certainly are plenty of them around these days. 

There's the "certified pre-owned" car that's really simply used.

Or the "tipsy" fellow who caused such a scene at the wedding last week, who was just plain drunk.

Or the "physical" linebacker who's actually a dirty player.

But euphemisms like these are relatively innocent compared to some of the whoppers we're exposed to today -- the ones that are delivered by wolves in sheep's clothing. 

Most notably, "self-deliverance." Have you heard that term yet?

It means "suicide."

It means "killing yourself."

It means deciding that your life might become an unbearable burden to someone else -- or quite possibly to yourself.
 
It means "taking the easy way out." 

It is making the supreme sacrifice to the gods of comfort and convenience -- the same gods that have claimed the lives of tens of millions of babies in American wombs over the the last four blood-spattered decades.

I've read about "self-deliverence" here and there and have finally taken the time to look it up.

Yup, there it is, presented as an act of courage, of selflessness, of supreme self-sacrifice.

Satan has apparently been working overtime since the first strains of Zionism were heard in the 19th century, when he began inventing false religions to satisfy every taste. He has stepped it up since the restoration of Israel in 1948. And now that the final pieces of biblical prophecy are falling into place -- those presented in Ezekiel 38, for instance -- he has gone hog wild with deceptions that would take any marketer's breath away.

Just consider his track record.

He repositioned "infanticide" as "choice."

He transformed "selfishness" into "self-actualization."

He changed "greed" into "financial responsibility."

And now he is succeeding in repositioning "suicide" as courageous and sacrificial "self-deliverance," something that we do as the ultimate expression of love for family, country, and culture.

He has even raised up generations of "professionals" to make it easy on everyone concerned, complete with well-funded associations and beautifully designed web sites to talk our legislators into legalizing it, and to talk us into taking this route ourselves when the time comes. 

God help us.

The women born before World War II were a different breed, or so it seems to a Baby Boomer who was steeped in the feminist atheist version of truth that reigned in the '60s and beyond. Indeed, one of my biggest regrets is that I let Betty Friedan and her radical feminist comrades turn me away from thinking like what's expressed in this poem, written by my mom in the '40s. 

To think that I once scoffed at the generations of women who lived without benefit of Betty's "wisdom" and her husband-free, children-free, money-packed solution for a happy life. I don't think many women have had as blessed a life as my mother had.
 
LEGACY

My grandma was little,
Demure and blue-eyed,
She left me a message
The day that she died.
 
"To my only grandchild --
To lead a good life, 
You must be a lady,
You should be a wife.
 
"Be quick to request
But slow to command.
Wear your heart on your sleeve
and gloves on your hand.

"Two things you must have
But hide well," she wrote.
"A brain that is swift
And a starched petticoat."
 
And when I met you,
The world sang with the birds.
T'was then I remembered
My grandmother's words.
 
And it worked! She was right!
My grandmother knew!
I did as she said,
And I'm married to you!
 
-- Ethel Boehm Foth

Here are 25 idea starters for ways that Christians can improve the lives of nursing home residents.

1. Visit residents regularly (ideally, at least once or twice a month) to develop relationships conducive to sharing the Gospel.

2. Conduct regular (monthly, or semi-monthly) Christian services for the residents – a Hymn Sing complete with lyric booklets, or a formal church service, or a hybrid of the two.

3. Support the home's Activities staff, for instance by pushing residents to and from scheduled activities, delivering the mail, helping with decorations, alphabetizing the library -- whatever's needed.

4. Serve as a wheelchair pusher on field trips to, for instance, the zoo. 

5.  Lend a hand in the garden throughout the growing season, by helping out with planting, fertilizing, dividing, and weeding. 

6.  Conduct a semi-monthly Bible study for two residents or twenty.

 7. Hold a monthly discussion group based on a favorite Christian program – for instance, services featuring a sermon by Charles Stanley or the late Adrian Rogers. (You'll most likely find videos of your favorites on youtube.com)

8. Develop a hands-on craft program featuring your favorite craft – or help an Activities  staffer make an existing program even more fulfilling for residents by helping them produce their own crafts.

9. Bring animals into the picture by, for instance, arranging a staff dog show or
arranging for a local horse trainer to put on a show.
 
10. Get your own dog trained in Canine Good Citizenship (almost a necessity unless your dog is very mellow and good-natured) and visit the many residents who love dogs and so miss being around them. 

11. Teach residents the basics of email, one on one.  

12. Do manicures.

13. Offer to run errands for residents – for instance, to shop for toiletries or nightgowns or whatever else is difficult for a facility-bound resident to buy. 

14. Make and bring “just like fresh, only better” silk flower arrangements to selected  residents, bringing a new one on each visit and moving each arrangement to the next one on your list. 

15. Raise funds for Activities through your own social or church network – for instance, to sponsor indigent residents’ participation in a field trip or restaurant outing.

16.  Offer to help with a task or two that requires a lot of time on Activities’ part, but no special training – for instance, word games or Bingo.

17. If you have writing skills, establish yourself as a facility biographer – interviewing residents, writing up their life stories, maybe even creating literary scrapbooks complete with photos. (Note: If you did a great job, this might be the start of a wonderful little business.)

18. Ditto, but conducting audio or audio/video interviews of residents.

19. Make it your business to identify individual resident’s interests, and then address those interests with books, videos, articles – whatever strikes your fancy.

20. Record yourself reading books, stories, Bible passages or devotionals and supply interested residents with the tools to listen to them.

21. Specialize in your choice of challenges – in reaching out to someone silenced by dementia, or hard of hearing and hard of heart, or ensnared in a cult. There’s always someone particularly difficult who will respond to love, kindness and patience.

22. Find a way to give residents purpose and meaning – for instance, folding bulletins for your church, or helping them bake cookies or make notecards to sell to raise funds for a dream outing, or conducting a semi-monthly prayer meeting.

23. Start a Senior College, researching and presenting on subjects that are of interest to you, and you’re certain would be of interest to them. Tying a biblical worldview in would be wonderful. For instance, how about an art history lecture series, tapping into Nancy Pearcey’s fantastic book Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning … or a series on the evolution of music, using Frank Garlock videos (you can pick them up from youtube.)

24. Hand-make useful items for residents and then deliver them to a list prepared for just this purpose by Activities. For example, crocheted or knitted lap robes or shawls are always needed. “Twiddlers” are a nifty new idea – made of a material such as fleece, they are similar to muffs with things like balls and fringes attached to keep busy hands occupied. 

25. Conduct a Share Your Faith class for residents, prepping them to witness to their loved ones.

Have more suggestions?  Please send them to me at [email protected].